Anthropology student shares his experience studying abroad at Uppsala University, Sweden

I am a graduate student at the Faculty of Anthropology, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU. 2019 was a memorable year for me when I had the honor of receiving a 1-semester exchange scholarship at the Faculty of Anthropology and Ethnology - Uppsala University, Sweden. Through this article, I would like to share my experiences and learning experiences during 6 months in the cold but extremely new and interesting Nordic country for me. My journey will be told through small stories under each photo that I will share below. Hopefully, my story will motivate students and trainees majoring in Anthropology to continue to try and make efforts to achieve their dream of studying abroad in the future.

My first steps were meetings with representatives of Uppsala University in Vietnam. The criteria for applying for the Linnaeus Palme International Exchange Programme scholarship include good academic performance and proficiency in English. The photo above is a meeting with new Uppsala University international students in 2019 at the office in Hanoi.

An opening ceremony at the Great Hall and listening to symphony music, I certainly don't have this wonderful experience in Vietnam.

These are pictures of the English campus – where I study. Modern facilities, meeting all the learning needs of students, in addition, there are computer rooms arranged in many places along the campus to meet the needs of students using computers, group study rooms, library

This is the office of the Department of Anthropology and Ethnology of Uppsala University and pictures of professors and lecturers working at the department.

This is a picture of an Advanced Theory in Anthropology class. The format of the class is usually that students read the prepared materials in advance, then the lecturer will guide and ask discussion questions. Students are free to express their opinions. At the end of the class, students will write down the key words of the class on the board using many fonts and colors to summarize. I find this method quite good and requires each student to be proactive in class.

In addition to classroom lessons, we had the opportunity to attend lectures by world-renowned social scientists such as Bruno Latour, Don Kulick, etc.

In the subject of Ethnography, throughout the course I was free to choose a research site to practice research methods in Anthropology and write weekly reports. I chose the student association called Smalland nation, one of the 13 long-standing student associations in Uppsala (student associations are all organized and professionally managed by students, including student housing, cafes, pubs, libraries, scholarships, etc.). Thanks to my experience at this student association, I understood more about the international student life in Uppsala, which is completely different from what I know about student associations in Vietnam.

In the photo are the graduate students in my class, including both Swedish and international students. They are all very friendly and sociable.

I was registered in a dormitory room in the Flogsta area with a private bathroom, a shared kitchen for a corridor, a shared laundry room... There is also an outdoor gym that is convenient for exercising and improving health.

These are my corridor friends, from many different countries such as Sweden, India, Bangladesh, Greece, Iran. They are all very good at their fields, I admire them very much.

We had the opportunity to meet Mr. Lam Minh Chau when he came to Uppsala University on a lecturer exchange program in November 2019.

We celebrated Christmas with the family of Ms. Ana-Klara - former representative of Uppsala University in Vietnam in 2019.

Studying abroad is also a great opportunity for me to enjoy Swedish cuisine in particular and European cuisine in general. A portion for an adult here is much more than I can eat.

I feel so lucky that in just 5 months of exchange, I got to experience 3 seasons of Sweden. In winter, when I had never seen snow in Vietnam, the feeling of playing with thick layers of snow was really new and exciting for me. My photo of the sunset in Flogsta was lucky to win the most favorite photo award in the photo contest “Memories of Vietnam – Sweden” to celebrate the establishment of Vietnam – Sweden relations organized by the Swedish Alumni Association SANV.

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This is also a great opportunity for me to travel to many places and explore European countries. If it weren’t for this scholarship, it would have been a long time before I could realize this dream. Make friends and form a student-style travel group, you will save quite a bit for your trip to Europe.

The above are personal experiences that I find extremely valuable. I know that the Faculty of Anthropology's Faculty and Student Exchange Program with the Faculty of Anthropology and Ethnology of Uppsala University continues to be implemented in the 2020-2021 academic year. I hope that the next batch of students/graduate students of the Faculty of Anthropology will have the opportunity to study abroad at Uppsala University to learn more knowledge and have better experiences than me!